The Epiphany Star July 2018 Newsletter of Epiphany Lutheran Church Fort Wayne, Indiana Dear Epiphany Lutheran Church, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen. PRAYER- the ability to communicate with God. The good thing about prayer as far as I am concern is that we can pray at any time and any place. We can pray by ourselves and we can pray as a faith community. Pray can bring a person or group closer to God. That is one of the greatest benefits as far as I am concerned. What a gift! As I write this month s newsletter article it is the eve of a surgical procedure that I am having to remove some problems in my nasal area. I thought I was doing pretty good with the normal anxiety of having any surgical procedure done. I have faith that God will be guiding the surgeon s hands with the skills that God has given to him to fix the problem. Then someone said to me, This surgery isn t going to affect your singing is it? I jokingly said, I don t think so. Then it got me thinking that this procedure could affect my singing voice. Then I got momentarily scared about what was going to be happening to me. So I brought to God in prayer and was assured that everything was in God s hands. Sharing the gift of music in singing has been a part of my whole life. It is a way that I have been able to express myself. The idea of that changing that is very scary for me but I also have faith that God is in control. One of the gifts I am very thankful God has brought into my life is the gift of sharing a moment of prayer with people in midst of crisis and joys. It brings a sense of peace to share with others that intimate relationship we get to have with God in prayer. It is truly a precious moment for me. This past Sunday I was able to share a precious moment with our church council members at the end of our council meeting. They gathered around me to pray for God s guidance for the surgeon and for healing to take place in my body. This past Monday (June 11), I was at Lake Luther Bible Camp to visit with our campers and to re-string the staff guitars for the camp season. I also wanted to meet up with the Confirmation Camp Pastors (whom I have had the privilege of serving for nearly 20 years together). One of the last things we did 1
together on that afternoon was to pray. It truly brought joy and relief to my heart and soul. I know this surgical procedure is minor in comparison to what other people face and go through every day. I know that my surgery is an elective surgical procedure which is not life threatening at least not now. The surgery still is scary as it is happening to me. I also know it is in God s hands and the gifts that were given to Dr. Herr to do God s gift of healing. I am thankful for all the prayers that have been said and will be said for me. I am thankful for the time of healing. I am most thankful for the time to be in the present of God in prayer. Thank you all so much for your prayers! In Christ, Pastor Richard Hartman Please feel free to stop in or call for any of your Pastoral needs. Our office hours are as follows: Pastor: Sunday Thursday 8:00 am 2:30 pm Monday evenings Dia: Monday Thursday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Other times as needed Dia will be out of the office June 25-July 1 Due to unexpected circumstances, these hours may be subject to change. E-mail Us: Pastor s office... pastor@epiphanyfw.com Pastor s home... rlhart49@frontier.com Dia s office... dia@epiphanyfw.com WEB SITE: Epiphany Lutheran Church www.epiphanyfw.com
Angels Among Us! We have members of our congregation who do many things behind the scenes, and we want to take the time to recognize just a few of them in this month s newsletter. Thank you, Angels! Worship services were planned for the summer Epiphany s lawn continues to be mowed regularly Confirmation students represented Epiphany at camp Church Council prepared to welcome new members Donations to Outreach projects were gratefully received Rummage/Bake sale was set up and well run Comfort Ye My People Our quilting group will meet Sunday, July 8 th, at 9:00 am. We would love to equal or improve upon the number of quilts we made last year. Please join us and help us to be a blessing to others! We are Christians, called by God, committed to: Sharing the Gospel, Serving others as Christ taught us, and Creating disciples for witness. Epiphany Lutheran Church s Vision Statement: A Christian family of God committed to sharing the Gospel and serving others, through joyful worship, education and fellowship. 3
We welcome the following new faces to Church Council July 1 st! Doug Ahr - Vice President Nina Haag - Secretary We thank these Church Council Members who continue to serve: David York President Dia Herb Congregational Life Jane Dawkins Outreach Sue Johnson - Foundation Pastor Richard Hartman We thank Sandi Swanson, Denny & Sally Mertz, and Terry Goodspeed, for their faithful service! Open Council Seats: Property Nurture Last 4 weeks Numbers: Average Attendance: Sunday 8:00 am 21 Sunday 10:15 am 35 Monday 7:00 pm 3 Total Offerings: $12,569.34 Total Bills: $12,361.70 Thank you for your support!
Join us for Worship this month! Every Sunday at 8:00 am and 10:15 am Lesson Study Monday at 7:00 pm Please join us! July 1 st 6 th Sunday of Pentecost Lamentations 3:22-23 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 July 8 th 7 th Sunday of Pentecost Ezekiel 2:1-5 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 July 15 th 8 th Sunday of Pentecost Amos 7:7-15 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29 July 22 nd 9 th Sunday of Pentecost Jeremiah 23:1-6 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 July 29 th 10 th Sunday of Pentecost 2 Kings 4:42-44 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 The Saturday morning Men s Bible Study will not meet in the months of July and August. We will resume our studies on Saturday, September 8 th, at 7:00 am. Please join us for breakfast and the Word - all are welcome! 5
Lutheran Night at the Fort Wayne TinCaps! Monday, Aug. 6 th, at 7:05 pm, the TinCaps will play the Lansing Lugnuts at Parkview Field, and we are invited! Tickets are just $8 per person, and $1 of every ticket sold will be donated to Lutheran Social Service s ECHO Program (Education Creates Hope & Opportunity) A display of fireworks will follow the game. If you would like to go, please sign up your ticket count and give your payment to Dia by Sunday, July 15 th, so that we can purchase tickets as a group and sit together! Thank you for your continued support of this vital mission in our community. Our congregation donated a total of $52 in the month of June, bringing our total donations to over $8,950! Please let Dia in the office know if you would like to be added to the list to give $7 a month to this worthy cause. Thank you!
Lutheran World Relief Kits Bath towels Combs Nail clippers Bath-size bar soap Toothbrushes Diaper pins Cloth diapers (medium/large) Gentle bath size bars of soap Flannel baby receiving blankets* Footless sleepers/gowns* Hand towels Baby hats* Socks* Sweaters* (up to 2T) T-shirts* (up to 2T) Large baby blankets or afghans* Adult t-shirts* (size large and up) to be made into diapers Blankets* (full or queen) Mattress Pads* Flat Sheets* (full or queen) *Items can be new or gently used. 7
Mission Moment July 2018 If you ever wondered if the packages we send to the military make a difference, please take a moment to read the lovely note on the bulletin board from one of the recipients of our boxes. Our simple acts of kindness can really touch the hearts of those serving our country. Your generous donations in May enabled us to send FOUR boxes in one month! Thanks so much! We appreciate everyone who has picked up items for our Lutheran World Relief kits and quilts this past month, and we ask that you continue to help with these projects throughout July. We especially need towels (new or nearly new) in bath and hand sizes as well as baby socks, diapers and t-shirts. As the school year draws near at the end of July there will be many great sales on school supplies. Please take the time to look at sales flyers and pick things up at bargain prices. We are always especially in need of spiral bound notebooks, crayons (16 or 24 count), scissors and pens. Hate to shop? You can give cash either to Dia or Sandy Swanson, or me (Jane Dawkins) and we will be glad to stretch your donations as far as we can. If you get the paper or other advertising resources, please consider bringing coupons for these items, as well as soap, to the church office and we will see that they get used. Thanks for all you do for the sake of our Savior. Written by Jane Dawkins
July Baptismal Birthdays David Dawkins Bill Williams Mark Everhart Anne Lohman Ruth Longroy Karen Payne Darla Baughman Rebecca Hartman Travis Richardson David Osheskie Chris Robinson Kay Evans Sally Mertz Nina Haag Dia Herb Happy birthday to those who celebrate their second birthday during the month of July! Martin Luther said, When you wash your face, remember your baptism. Take time to remember and celebrate this month! Lutheran Senior Care Ministry Lutheran Senior Care Ministry Update for July 2018 Exciting things are happening! We are developing a logo and tagline for the ministry. A draft brochure has been created. Plans are underway to create an Executive Chaplain position for 2019 to guide us as we move forward in the community. Residents in 30 care facilities in the Fort Wayne area attend weekly worship services conducted by LSCM chaplains who also minister to their spiritual needs. Family members are also invited to accompany their loved ones to these services. Services are posted for you on the bulletin board by our entrance. Thank you for your prayers and support! Peace! Sue 9
July 1 rd July 8 th July 15 th July 22 nd July 29 th WOV WOV LBW II LBW II WOV Organist/ Pianist Sara Amanda Pickett Sara Sara Sara Assisting Minister Jane Dawkins Dia Herb David Dawkins Rebecca Hartman Jim Lector 8:00 am Molly Bowman Sue Johnson Cheryl Ralston Kurt Unrue Sue Lector 10:15 am Bob Havers Jane Dawkins Becky Roemer Vicki Khouli Nina Haag Acolyte Lucy Kristen Zoey Osheskie Rachael Pickett Erin Robinson Communion Assistant 8:00 am Hank Schroeder Devin Meunier Richard Lee Connie York David York Communion Assistant 10:15 am Mike Rumfield David Dawkins Dia Herb Cathy Rumfield Becky Roemer Altar Guild Alicia Barbara Jane Greeter(s)) Hartmans Havers Swansons Pickett's Capt. Mike Rumfield Terry Goodspeed